This is an unofficial translation from Arabic to English by Human Rights Watch of Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulation's September 30, 2017 statement "prohibit[ing] the appearance of homosexuals or their slogans in the media." To access the original statement in Arabic, please visit the Supreme Council for Media Regulation's website.

Media Council Prohibits Appearance of Homosexuals or their Slogans in the Media

The Supreme Council for Media Regulation prohibits the promotion or dissemination of homosexual slogans. Homosexuality is a sickness and disgrace that would be better hidden from view and not promoted for dissemination until it is treated and its disgrace removed. This is to preserve order and public decency and out of respect for the values and correct beliefs of society. Promotion of these slogans is also a corruption of society that should be punished.

It is forbidden for homosexuals to appear in any media outlet whether written, audio, or visual, except when they acknowledge the fact that their conduct is inappropriate and repent for it.

Makram Mohammed Ahmed, president of the council, asserted that this does not mean that we are hiding our heads in the sand and ignoring the illness or denying it. On the contrary, it must be treated and removed as a sickness spreading among the youth. It is an illness that is spreading for reasons that ought to be exposed and treated, including because of the complete reliance on servants for child rearing, weak parental supervision over children’s behavior, and socializing with the wrong circles. And this is where the role of the media and its message comes in. The media must warn of the dangers of the sickness and the reasons for its spread, not promote it by raising its slogans and dedicating to it flags and rituals. Nor should the media allow those who support the sickness to openly propagate this extremely dangerous evil, try to paint it with a false legitimacy, and advocate for its recognition as a human right. In reality, it is a blatant sin that should be rejected and resisted because it contradicts the natural order and represents an aberration from the ways of life; it is an act of deviance that ought not to be promoted. Homosexuality should be rejected because, by nature, it helps spread social practices that corrupt morals and causes a number of dangerous ailments, the most significant of which is HIV/AIDS.

The media must shed light on these dangers, and discuss them in an objective, scientific framework that aims to convey the danger of the problem, not celebrate it.